AVON -- Since players in the lower minor leagues are paid wages comparable to those found at McDonald's, those playing for teams like the Lake Erie Crushers here rely on host families to avoid paying rent and of course signing an annual lease. After all, they plan to be here only three months at a time -- during baseball season.

The Frontier League, the class A loop in which the Crushers play, has a team salary cap of $72,000 per team. Although these guys might be "pros," that is 72 grand to be divided among 25 players. Do the math.

Luckily, Avon has such generous families like the Flemings. Ed and Debbie Fleming are the host family to Lake Erie left fielder Tim Binkoski. For this nine-game home stand, Binkoski's parents, Tim Sr. and Patricia, drove down from Connecticut and were also able to cut travel costs thanks to the Flemings.

"We have four bedrooms," said Ed Fleming. "All our children have moved out of the house, so we have three extra bedrooms. We offered one to Tim and we've liked him so much that we invited his parents to stay with us in one of the other two empty rooms."

The Binkoskis stayed in a hotel the first couple nights but then accepted the Fleming invitation.

"It has helped us," said Tim Sr. "We traveled throughout his college career and it does get expensive. The Flemings are such great people. We couldn't have found a better home for him."

Ed Fleming has only a few rules for Binkoski when staying at his home.

"It is very simple - no alcohol, no overnight female guests, no smoking and no tobacco," Fleming said. "It has worked out well. Since he is a teetotaler, Tim has done a service to a lot of the other players who go out and drink. They appreciate that Tim has been the designated driver for them."

The league and the club ask that host "parents" open their pantries to the players.

"We don't have a problem with it," Fleming said. "Tim offered me some money for food, but I turned him down. He makes up for it by helping me around the yard and things."

This put a smile in Tim Senior's face.

"When I heard about the food offer, I thought he has no idea how much Tim eats," the young man's father said. "I thought he would make them go broke. Tim was sitting there when Ed told me that he was helping him in the yard. Tim looked at me and said, 'Now don't get any ideas when I get home and you need work done in your yard."

Binkoski graduated with a history degree from Quinnipiac University, where he was a standout baseball player. Despite a strong career, he was not drafted. He played in Williamsport (home of the Little League World Series) with the Phillies organization but was let go at the end of the season.

"He was substitute teaching when he got the call that a new team was starting up near Cleveland and that they wanted to sign him," said his mom Pat. "He was so excited when it all went through and about his coming here."

Binkoski devours everything and anything about history.

"I couldn't believe how excited he got when he heard the oldies station here (the Cool Cat, 1380 out of Lorain)," said Fleming. "He could name the artist and the year on just about every song that came on. He just can't get enough of that station. I love talking about 1960s music with him."

His father is also enamored by his knowledge of history.

"We would travel to Virginia and Maryland to watch him play and he would tell us about every Civil War battle was fought and what each of those cities was known for," his father said.

He grew up not far from Fenway Park and eventually got his dream to play in the historic park in college. He also played in the old Yankee Stadium.

"He played in left field right near that doorway where Manny Ramirez once went through to go to the bathroom," Pat said. "He was actually in that room. He told is the fans at Fenway are way nicer than those at Yankee Stadium and that are fewer crimes as well. The history factor had way more of an impact for him at Fenway."

Mr. Binkoski said the couple travels extensively to watch their son play.

"Whatever we can't handle, we take care of with plastic," he said. "This has been his dream. We can't let him down. We want to see him go as far as we can with it."

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